From Surrender to Departure: The Story of Guan Yu and Its Relevance to the Dating and Evolution of the Composition of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Part I).

This paper examines the possibility of Zhu Youdun having access to the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms (hereafter referred to as the novel) at the time when he composed the drama entitled Guan Yunchang Righteously and Bravely Refuses Gold (hereafter referred to as the drama). By comparing the depiction of the character Xiahou Dun in the two works, we believe that the novel did not exist in 1416. Zhu's characterization was based essentially upon the negative portrayal of Xiahou in traditional works such as the Sanguozhi pinghua, where he was cast in a role completely different from what we find in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. This paper examines three episodes in these two works: (1) the officer whom Guan Yu defeats before he kills Yan Liang; (2) the person who blinds Xiahou, and (3) the farewell letter penned by Guan Yu. All three cases show that Zhu possessed no awareness of these details in the novel, which leads one to conclude that the novel did not exist in 1416. The date of its composition would have to be within the period of 1435-1457. Its authorship, generally attributed to (1330-1400), would also have to be refuted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]